Tire and wheel questions

[bjh05400ex]

I am in the market for some new wheels and tires and I want to hear some of your guys opinions. Is anyone out there running the CST Ambush or Pulse tires on their EX and if so how do you like them? I am on a budget and these seem to be a value priced tire compared to some of the other big name brands. I have searched the web and found a few video reviews but they were from the mfg so I want to get some feedback from the guys here that are actually running them. I also want to get a good set of wheels that don't cost an arm and a leg. I was looking at the ITP wheel line up and like the T-9 Pro series Baja and the T-9 Pro series GP. I would be looking at the black set of these wheels, so for the guys that are running them how is the finish quality and how durable is it. I mostly trail ride so would these wheels and tires be the best bang for my buck?

http://www.itptires.com/wheels/sport-atv

[DragonGunner]

If your on a budget use your stock rims, they are just as good if not better than alot of aftermarket rims, that will save ya money. I haven't heard of the tires you mentioned, my vote always goes to the maxis tires, still running a pair after 10 yrs....what ever you decide check the prices at rocky mt.

http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com

[quadmanw]

I am also a fan of maxxis. I have been running razr 2 for about 4 years now. Obviously maxxis is not a budget buy anymore, but GBC is cheaper and makes almost the same tire. As for the ITP T-9 baja wheels I have been running these for about 4 or 5 years also and they are a great wheel. The strength of these wheels is great.. I am a heavy guy and I have yet to bend one on a hard landing. I have the chrome ones and they still have a nice chrome finish to them. That's just my 2 cents. Good luck on your decision!

[bjh05400ex]

If your on a budget use your stock rims, they are just as good if not better than alot of aftermarket rims, that will save ya money. I haven't heard of the tires you mentioned, my vote always goes to the maxis tires, still running a pair after 10 yrs....what ever you decide check the prices at rocky mt.

http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com

Thanks for the heads up dragon gunner. I guess I should have mentioned I want to save my stockies and turn them into a pair of winter ice tires. after more research I found out that Maxxis is actually made and private labeled by CST (Chen sing tires). Maybe I should just see if some one on here has a nice set of gently used stock wheels that I can buy.

[bjh05400ex]

I am also a fan of maxxis. I have been running razr 2 for about 4 years now. Obviously maxxis is not a budget buy anymore, but GBC is cheaper and makes almost the same tire. As for the ITP T-9 baja wheels I have been running these for about 4 or 5 years also and they are a great wheel. The strength of these wheels is great.. I am a heavy guy and I have yet to bend one on a hard landing. I have the chrome ones and they still have a nice chrome finish to them. That's just my 2 cents. Good luck on your decision!

thanks quadmanW quick question what size rims did you get for the front and rear? I am seeing they offer 10x5 3.0 +2.0 , 10x5 4.0+1.0 for the front and 10x8 3.0+5.0, 8x8 3.0 +5.5, and 9x9 3.0 +6.0. I am assuming this is offsets for the wheels. I run a stock a-arm setup right now with stock rear axle. I was thinking 10x5 4.0 +1.0 front with 10x8 3.0 +5.0 but I am totally new to this.

[LxMxL97]

I have the itp wheels you mentioned and they are great very strong and aren't to heavy I would recommend them but I am going to be getting some new rears only for the fact that I want beadlocks but if you run an itp tire on those wheels the seal on the bead is perfect compared to a stock wheel I'll take some pics when I get home

[quadmanw]

I know I run the 4-1 in the front which is good for woods riding.. And I think I run the 3-5 in the rear. The set up you are looking for should be perfect.

[bjh05400ex]

I know I run the 4-1 in the front which is good for woods riding.. And I think I run the 3-5 in the rear. The set up you are looking for should be perfect.

awesome thanks man I appreciate the help

[bjh05400ex]

I have the itp wheels you mentioned and they are great very strong and aren't to heavy I would recommend them but I am going to be getting some new rears only for the fact that I want beadlocks but if you run an itp tire on those wheels the seal on the bead is perfect compared to a stock wheel I'll take some pics when I get home

Pics would be great. Do bead lock wheels make that much of a difference that you would want to switch?

[Stickman400]

Unless you're running hard in the woods then you shouldn't need bead locks. I've got the ITP Bajas and Razr 2s and I'm very happy with how they've held up. Never had a bead pop off and I've caught the rim on several things and they've taken some hard hits and are still going strong after 5+ years of abuse.

[bjh05400ex]

Unless you're running hard in the woods then you shouldn't need bead locks. I've got the ITP Bajas and Razr 2s and I'm very happy with how they've held up. Never had a bead pop off and I've caught the rim on several things and they've taken some hard hits and are still going strong after 5+ years of abuse.

do you have the polished finish or the black finish? I believe its powder coated but I could be wrong?

[Fix29]

I have the black ITP pro locks and Bajas both. They are a powdercoated finish and they hold up pretty darn well for the most part. They won't stay perfect when using them for trail riding but they will take a beating and still look good.

[Fix29]

I also run Maxxis Razr tires. I have Razr2 fronts and Razr Xc rears as well as a set of I-Razr rears. They are a little on the pricey side but they are all great tires that perform well and hold up to the abuse as well.

[Stickman400]

I have the black, and they are PC'd. They flake off around the lug nut holes after a lot of use and the edge of the ring flakes off if they get hit with something which is hard to avoid but other than that they still look and work great!

[LxMxL97]

I was busy lastnight and I didn't get a chance to take any pics but the powdercoat will chip around the lugs I've had that problem on one wheel and it was about 2" long and about an 1" wide but that only happened by one lug

[MtnEX]

I hate powder coat on wheels... it is a pain. But somewhere along the way I started liking the black wheels I hated so much in the past. The look grew on me.

Now I would never powder coat wheels still. And baja's and beadlocks I still think look good raw aluminum. But other aluminum wheels look very Joe Dirt to me now for some reason. So I have done a couple sets of plain wheels black. I opted to scuff them and spray with bedliner rattle cans. Other things like wheel paint or epoxy paint might work too? But anyways, I opted for the texture knowing I would have to touch up and hoping the texture would help hide it.

So what I did was, at the lugs I took some of those round felt furniture pads the size of the lug nuts and centered them on the lug holes before spraying. So I have had no issues inside the wheel. Only at the bead area that gets hit.

In the end, the texture is a B!Tc# to clean, and keeping them touched up is a lot of upkeep. But it is much easier than dealing with powder coat. Overall I recommend hiper because when you scratch or chip them, they are the same color underneath.

[i973eat1]

I have the CST Ambush tires on the front of mine, they work really well for rocky terrain or hard packed dirt. once you get into mud or more swampy conditions, then they start to break loose easier. I only have a few rides on them and its almost too cold to ride, so I am not sure how they do in sand or loose gravel.
I have ITP rear wheels on my bike also, black. The powdercoating looks good when it is clean, but it is hard to keep clean. They are great wheels though, I have not had any problems with them at all.

[LxMxL97]

I've got a set of the fronts 3:2 offset I'll sell for $100

[Stickman400]

I will say that I had a set of stock aluminum rims PC'd and clear'd by a local company and they haven't had any chipped off and I've taken them on and off about the same amount of times as the ITPs. I think the reason being is the lug holes. The ITPs are flat lug style and the stockers are tapered, and it's not as hard on the PC when you tighten it down on the tapered style vs. the flat.

[i973eat1]

I will say that I had a set of stock aluminum rims PC'd and clear'd by a local company and they haven't had any chipped off and I've taken them on and off about the same amount of times as the ITPs. I think the reason being is the lug holes. The ITPs are flat lug style and the stockers are tapered, and it's not as hard on the PC when you tighten it down on the tapered style vs. the flat.

The ITPs on mine have tapered holes for the lugs...

[LxMxL97]

Do you have the baja wheel or one of their other wheels?

[MtnEX]

I have came to the conclusion over time that the tapered setup is probably really a better setup for other reasons as well. I think the only reason all wheels are not that way is that it is cheap and easy to drill lug holes in the flats.

[LxMxL97]

And they just so happen to sell non tapered lug nuts just another way to make money

[2001400exrida]

to save my non tapered douglas, i use washers, otherwise your lugs will eat right into the soft aluminum.